Sports, in brief

The Athletics Integrity Unit, which handles doping cases in athletics for World Athletics, provisionally suspended Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya on Friday. [1][2]

A sample taken out of competition in Kenya, before she won the Sydney Marathon on 30 August, showed EPO. [2][3]

EPO is a hormone the kidneys make, and it tells the body to build more red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the muscles. [3]

When EPO is injected, it can be found in blood or urine for only a short time. [3]

Provisional means she cannot race until a final hearing decides her case. [1][2]

Jepchirchir, 33, won Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and the world title in Tokyo in September 2025. [3][2]

She has won four of the biggest city marathons: New York in 2021, Boston in 2022, London in 2024 and Sydney this year. [1]

She won Sydney in 2 hours 18 minutes 31 seconds, more than three minutes ahead of Irene Chepet Cheptai, another Kenyan. [3]

Her manager of 13 years told reporters he had been completely wrong to trust her. [4]

More than 140 Kenyan athletes have been suspended or banned by the unit since 2017. [4] They include Ruth Chepngetich, the women's marathon world record holder, banned for three years in 2025. [2]

World Athletics gave Nairobi, Kenya's capital, the 2029 world championships last month. [2] An official of Athletics Kenya said the news was a big disappointment so soon after. [4]

Witold Banka, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, told Kenya this month that it needs zero tolerance for doping. [2][4]

A day earlier the unit banned Ruti Aga, a former Tokyo Marathon winner from Ethiopia, for six years. [1][2]

The Sydney Marathon's organisers said they were extremely disappointed, and that she is entitled to due process. [2]

Why it matters. The next step is the unit's final hearing, and until it rules she cannot race, while Kenya prepares to host the 2029 world championships under closer watch. [1][4]

Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter, two English golfers, said on Friday they will not play in LIV 2.0, the rebuilt version of the breakaway LIV Golf tour. [5][6] Tom McKibbin of Northern Ireland, Branden Grace and Lucas Herbert also left, two days before the 25 October deadline for players to commit. [9][8] LIV began in 2022 on more than $5bn from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which stopped paying in April. [5] LIV then filed for bankruptcy protection in the US, and only a handful of players have signed up for 2027. [5]

Why it matters. Most of those leaving can go back to the DP World Tour, Europe's main men's tour, whose end-of-season play-offs start in Abu Dhabi on 5 November. [9][7] McKibbin walked away from several years left on his LIV contract. [8]

Mark Walter, the billionaire who controls baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, is trying to sell the Los Angeles Sparks, a WNBA women's basketball team, with its new training centre, Bloomberg reported on Friday. [10][11] He reportedly wants $700m. [10] He bought the Sparks for about $10m in 2014, and the record price for a WNBA team is $300m, paid this year for the Connecticut Sun. [11] Walter sold the Lakers at a $12.5bn value in August and his stake in Chelsea soon after. [10]

Why it matters. US prosecutors and the SEC, the US markets regulator, are looking into about $16bn of loans to firms tied to Walter that ended up with insurance companies he owns. [11] His company denies any wrongdoing. [10] Even without the $150m training centre, the asking price would beat the WNBA record by about $250m. [11]

The Dallas Cowboys agreed on Friday to recognise the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Association as the union that bargains for the squad. [12][13] A union lets workers agree pay and conditions as one group instead of one by one. In 2018 a cheerleader sued, saying she averaged about $15,000 a season and earned less than the team's mascot. [14] A lawsuit the Cowboys settled in 2019 led to game-day pay doubling to $400. [13] The squad then got a 400% raise before the 2025 season. [12]

Why it matters. The two sides now start bargaining over a contract. [14] The first NFL cheerleaders to form a union were the Buffalo Jills, after a ruling by the US labour board in 1995. [13]

Baseball's commissioner, Rob Manfred, and the players' union leader, Bruce Meyer, gave opposite readings of the World Series before Game 1. [28] The Rays and Brewers rank 19th and 27th by payroll. [28] Meyer said that undercuts the owners' case for a salary cap, a limit on what each team may spend on players. [28] Manfred called the series an outlier and said big-city teams make the playoffs far more often. [28] Bud Selig, the former commissioner who brought the Brewers to Milwaukee in 1970, called the owners' plan essential. [29]

Why it matters. The deal between owners and players ends on 1 December, when the owners are expected to lock the players out. [30][28] Free agents can sign from five days after the World Series, and the agent Scott Boras says many teams are better off signing players before the new deal. [30]

The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in Game 1 of baseball's World Series on Friday, Milwaukee's first World Series game since 1982. [23] Tampa Bay ran into outs on the bases in back-to-back innings. [24] In the ninth, what looked like a game-ending double play was overturned on video, because shortstop Cooper Pratt's foot had left the base. [23][25] A run scored, then Trevor Megill struck out Jonny DeLuca to end it. [23][25]

Why it matters. Game 1 winners have gone on to win the series 62.8% of the time, and neither team has ever won one. [23] The cheapest resale seat for Game 1 was $2,188 hours before the start, on course for a World Series record. [26]

Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa, head of the Asian Football Confederation, endorsed Gianni Infantino for another term as president of FIFA, world football's governing body, at a congress in Tokyo on Friday. [19][20] In August the same confederation had joined Europe's UEFA and Concacaf in accusing Infantino of a fundamental breach of trust. [19] That was over a scrapped $4.2bn plan to sell parts of the World Cup to private investors. [19] Nominations close on 18 November, and nobody is standing against him yet. [19][20]

Why it matters. Asia will have 46 votes at the election in Rabat in March, against UEFA's 55 and Africa's 54. [20] With Africa and South America already behind him, Infantino could win a fourth term unopposed. [20]

Three athletes sued the NCAA, the body that runs US college sport, on Friday over its ban on sports scholarships in Division III, its lowest level. [18] Division III has more than 400 schools and about 210,000 athletes a year, and its rule forbids any money given for athletic ability. [18] The suit, filed in a federal court in California, says the schools have agreed to hold the price of athletes' work at zero. [18] A court threw out a similar claim in 2013. [18]

Why it matters. Since then the US Supreme Court ruled, in a case called Alston, that NCAA limits on athletes' benefits can be tested under antitrust law, the rules against firms agreeing prices. [18] If the athletes win, the NCAA could owe billions of dollars, depending on how many athletes the case covers. [18]

The NWSL, the top US women's football league, and its players' union settled six disputes on Friday. [15] The biggest ends the limits on the High Impact Player rule, which lets clubs pay stars up to $1m above the salary cap. [15][17] Until now a player had to meet criteria such as national-team minutes, Ballon d'Or votes or a place on a ranking of marketable athletes, and about 100 did. [15][17] From 1 January 2027 any player can be named, if paid at least 12% of the base cap of $3.5m. [16][17]

Why it matters. The rule was written after Trinity Rodman, a Washington Spirit forward, drew bigger offers from European clubs, which have no salary cap. [15] The union had argued that sorting players by outside lists broke US labour law. [17]

England's new Independent Football Regulator, which will license clubs and check their finances, expects to charge the 116 clubs in the top five divisions 20.3 million pounds in its first licensing year, 2027-28. [21] That is double the UK government's original estimate of about 10 million pounds a year. [21] The richest Premier League clubs will pay up to 1.8 million pounds, most Premier League clubs 600,000 pounds, and National League clubs about 600 pounds. [21] Setting up the regulator cost about 45 million pounds, and only 1 million of that is recovered in the first year. [21]

Why it matters. About 42 million pounds of set-up costs is still to be recovered over the next eight years, so the bill may rise. [21] The regulator's chair said clubs would also cover the cost of any legal action it takes over Manchester City. [21]

FIFA's first Under-15 World Cup began this week in Azerbaijan, with 189 teams and nearly 1,000 matches. [22] Germany's football association chose not to send a team. [22] It said players that young should not face the pressure, public judging and agents that come with professional football. [22] Twenty-two countries refused, 18 of them from Europe, and the US and Ukraine are among them. [22] Russia is taking part, though its national teams have been banned from international football since it invaded Ukraine in 2022. [22]

Why it matters. FIFA says young players everywhere need meaningful matches, and teams from Bhutan, the Seychelles and Vanuatu are playing. [22] The tournament runs until 30 October, and next year's edition will be for girls only. [22]

France's football league moved Paris Saint-Germain's home match against Lyon from Sunday to Monday night, after French police banned it on its original date. [31] Another weekend of protests is planned in Paris, over fuel prices, schools and the cost of living. [31] About 550,000 people marched across France last Saturday. [31] Toulouse's home game against Troyes was also moved, from Saturday to Sunday, at the authorities' request. [31]

Why it matters. Lyon lead the French league on 14 points and PSG are second, so the top game of the weekend loses its slot. [31] The police must also cover Sunday's NFL game at the Stade de France, about 10km from where the protests begin. [31]

US President Donald Trump said on Friday the NFL could probably have postponed Sunday's game in Paris, because of unrest in France. [32] The league said all week the game would go ahead. [32] The owners of the Saints and Steelers met France's president, Emmanuel Macron, with commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday. [32] Goodell also said a regular-season game in Tokyo could come in 2027 or 2028. [33]

Why it matters. The players' contract allows up to 10 NFL games abroad a season, and the league plays nine this year, including the first in Paris. [33] A league executive, Peter O'Reilly, said going to 10 is being considered for 2027. [33]

Vincent Kompany, the 40-year-old manager of the German club Bayern Munich, collapsed on Friday while watching the club's reserve team train. [35][36] He is having tests in hospital, and reports in Germany say he is stable. [35] He had been ill with a virus that affected his legs for about a week. [36] He was still on the touchline for Wednesday's Champions League draw with Arsenal. [35] His assistants will run training and matches until further notice. [35]

Why it matters. Bayern play Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday. [35] Max Eberl, the club's sporting director, said Kompany would be given all the time he needs. [36]

Skye Blakely, 21, of the US won the women's all-around title at the world gymnastics championships in Rotterdam on Friday, with 55.733 points over four apparatus. [37][38] Russia's Liudmila Roshchina was second and China's Ke Qinqin third. [37] Blakely tore an elbow ligament before the Tokyo Olympic trials in 2021. [37] She ruptured an Achilles tendon two days before the Paris Olympic trials in 2024. [37] It is her first individual world title. [38]

Why it matters. Two days earlier the US team lost the team title to China by 0.233 points, ending its run of seven world team titles. [39] Part of that gap came from a leap of Blakely's on the beam, judged short, which cut her difficulty score by 0.9. [39]

Canada beat England 31-22 in Ottawa on Friday in the WXV series, a women's rugby union competition. [41] A week earlier Canada won 24-21 in Toronto and ended England's run of 41 matches unbeaten. [41] It is the first time in a decade that England, the world champions, have lost twice in a row. [41][40] Canada's captain, Sophie de Goede, scored three tries. [41]

Why it matters. Canada lost the 2025 World Cup final to England, and the Guardian calls them serious contenders for the next World Cup, in 2029. [40] England play the USA in New Jersey next Friday. [41]

The Indiana Fever, the WNBA team of the star guard Caitlin Clark, said on Friday that president Kelly Krauskopf is stepping down. [42][43] Hours later it fired general manager Amber Cox. [43] Krauskopf built the team that won its only title, in 2012. [42] The Fever made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons but never got past the semi-finals. [42] Coach Stephanie White, with one year left on her contract, is expected to stay. [42]

Why it matters. The new bosses must try to keep Kelsey Mitchell, a free agent, while three players already take about 60% of the salary cap. [42]

The NFL fined three head coaches $250,000 each over how they treated referees: Mike Vrabel of the Patriots, Nick Sirianni of the Eagles and Aaron Glenn of the Jets. [34] The fines are on hold and will be dropped if a coach does not do it again, three sources told Front Office Sports. [34] Vrabel was penalised on 4 October for swearing at an official. [34] In its second week alone the league fined 13 players a total of $300,089 for bad conduct. [34]

Why it matters. The league also suspended two of its own game officials this month, and the referees' union is contesting that. [34]

Apple, which took over Formula One's US television rights this season, says its F1 audience is up by double digits on what ESPN drew last season. [66] ESPN averaged 1.3 million viewers in its last F1 season. [66] Apple's advertising chief, Todd Teresi, said brands such as American Express and Ford saw better results than usual for streamed TV. [66] Apple shows adverts only around live sport, such as F1 and MLS. [66]

Why it matters. Teresi said F1's US viewers earn more on average than NFL or NBA viewers, which draws expensive brands. [66] He said the audience is US-only and much smaller than Apple's other ad businesses. [66]

IndyCar, the top US open-wheel racing series, will race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 18 July 2027, its first race in Europe in 20 years. [44] The promoters, Spanish government officials and IndyCar signed a 10-year deal with options for each side. [44] The track is near the hometown of Alex Palou, a five-time IndyCar champion. [44] The 17-race 2027 calendar drops Nashville Superspeedway and this year's one-off race in Washington. [45]

Why it matters. It is IndyCar's first race outside North America since 2013. [44] Every race will again be shown on Fox in the US. [45]

Seven of the 10 most-watched college football teams this season play in the SEC, a conference of mainly southern US universities, Nielsen figures show. [46] Texas averaged 8.40 million viewers a game through seven weeks. [46] Its win over Ohio State drew 13.99 million on ABC, the season's biggest audience. [46] ABC, ESPN's sister channel, has eight of the season's 10 biggest audiences. [46]

Why it matters. ESPN pushed for the playoff to grow to 24 teams, and an Athletic survey found 82% of fans against it. [46] One SEC fan, speaking on Paul Finebaum's ESPN show, complained it would put half the SEC in the playoff. [46]

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was fastest in Friday practice at the US Grand Prix in Austin, 0.042 seconds ahead of Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli. [48] Antonelli, 20, wins the world title on Sunday only if he wins the race while George Russell finishes below eighth and Lewis Hamilton below fourth. [48] He would be the youngest champion in Formula One history. [49] Red Bull's Max Verstappen looked quickest on the long runs that copy race conditions. [48]

Why it matters. If it does not happen in Austin, the next chance is the race in Mexico, and the Guardian calls the title all but assured. [49]

The Milwaukee Bucks, the city's NBA team, moved Friday's home opener against the Chicago Bulls from 7pm to 3pm local time. [27] That left the evening clear for the Brewers' first World Series home game in 44 years. [27] The Bucks made the change with the NBA, and set up a watch party for the baseball outside their arena. [27]

Why it matters. The Bucks said a normal evening start would have clashed for local fans. [27] Both stadiums are in Milwaukee, so a fan could go to both games on the same day. [27]

The University of Texas launched Bevo Lab on Friday, which will build artificial-intelligence tools for coaches and athletes in its 21 varsity sports. [47] They include chatbots for each sport and models that judge players for the roster. [47] Dell, Google Cloud and SHI International back it. [47] It is led by Kirk Goldsberry, a data analyst who ran analytics for the San Antonio Spurs and for USA Basketball at the 2016 Olympics. [47]

Why it matters. Texas's athletic director, Chris Del Conte, announced it as a way to give the school an edge over its rivals. [47]

A judge, Jason Sengheiser, granted Robbie Avila a temporary order on Friday letting Saint Louis University put him on its basketball roster for another season. [62] Avila had gone to court for a fifth year of eligibility. [62] He was not picked in the 2026 NBA draft and averaged 12.8 points last season. [62] Saint Louis open on 2 November, and Avila is due back in court on 4 November. [62]

Why it matters. College players are winning a wave of such orders, and the schools that sign them belong to the NCAA whose rules the orders block. [63]

Arsenal fear Bukayo Saka will miss at least six weeks, and possibly longer, with a thigh injury from Wednesday's 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich. [64] Fluid around the muscle made it hard to diagnose, and he was due a scan on Friday. [64] He would miss England's Nations League games against Croatia and Spain. [64] He also misses Saturday's home game against Everton. [64] An Achilles injury in March kept him out of seven Arsenal games before he returned to help them win the Premier League for the first time in 22 years. [64]

Why it matters. Arsenal's manager, Mikel Arteta, said more scans and specialists' opinions were needed. [64]

Nottingham Forest drew 1-1 at Ipswich in the Premier League on Friday. [67] Neco Williams scored for Forest, and Julio Enciso equalised in the first half. [67] Forest have six points from eight matches and one win. [67] Ipswich's Issa Diop was not sent off for a foul on James McAtee, which Forest's manager, Oliver Glasner, said felt like a red card. [67]

Why it matters. Glasner said he was still waiting for the team to click. [67] The Guardian says time may be short, because Forest's president, Evangelos Marinakis, tends to act fast in a bad run. [67]